Moray MP Douglas Ross says the situation for patients suffering chronic pain in his constituency is “totally unacceptable”.
Douglas has hit out after receiving what he says was a “deeply disappointing” response from NHS Grampian after he had raised concerns on behalf of patients who believe they have been forgotten about by the health board.
In their response to Douglas, NHS Grampian say the current waiting time for a pain clinic outpatient appointment is 18 weeks, with six further clinics planned in the remainder of this year.
Health bosses also pointed out that patients waiting for appointments at Dr Gray’s also have the option to travel to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but that the waits for appointments there have hit 64 weeks.
Douglas says that is “utterly shocking” and urgent action needs to be taken by the health board and the SNP Government to stop patients suffering in agony for months – and sometimes years – on end.
The most recent statistics showed that out of the 184 patients who waited over a year to be seen for a chronic pain appointment in the first quarter of this year, 108 of them were based in NHS Grampian.
Douglas says this is yet another example of how patients in rural Scotland are being failed by the SNP-Green government and how Humza Yousaf’s flimsy NHS Recovery plan has failed to remobilise crucial frontline services.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “This is a deeply disappointing response from NHS Grampian. I have had many constituents contact me who are suffering in agony, desperate to know when they will have an appointment, but this won’t reassure them at all.
"At my surgeries in recent weeks this issue has been raised several times, and it’s concerning that so many people continue to suffer as they wait to be seen at the pain clinic.
“Many patients at Dr Gray’s feel they have been completely forgotten about. The claim about waiting 18 weeks for appointments simply won’t ring true for many people in Moray. The situation for them is totally unacceptable.
“Performance in NHS Grampian in relation to chronic pain is among the worst in Scotland and urgent action needs to be taken. For anyone to be waiting well over a year for an appointment – as is the case in Aberdeen – is utterly shocking.
“Rural patients like mine in Moray are being failed by the SNP-Green government who don’t understand their needs and have failed to invest in rural healthcare services for far too long.
“Humza Yousaf’s flimsy NHS Recovery plan has not remobilised frontline services at Dr Gray’s and it is suffering patients who are paying the price for his lack of leadership, despite the best efforts of our dedicated NHS staff.”
